Easy Silence
by EmeraldLovesHazel
Summary: Lily and James become fast friends during their last year at Hogwarts, but what will that friendship bring? LilyXJames
1. Auburn

**DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm not claiming ownership. I'm not making money off this. It's simply for my enjoyment, as well as the enjoyment of those who choose to read it. Proceeding.**

Red.

No, not red. Auburn.

The auburn locks dangled before him, resting in soft curls on the shoulders of the girl to whom they were attached. He wanted nothing more than to run his fingers through her smooth locks, but she would never think of him that way. They had only just become friends.

A wand smacked onto the desk in front of him, waking him up from his daze.

"Mr. Potter?" the old witch asked. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun, pulling her face back as well. Her dark eyes were severe at first glance, peering atop a pair of square spectacles, but they harbored a certain lenience for this boy. After all, he was her best student. He sat up a bit straighter, running a hand through his untidy black mane.

"Yes, Professor?" he tilted his head to the side and adjusted his glasses.

"Can you answer the question?"

James's eyes widened. Thinking quickly, he stepped on the foot of the student next to him, a handsome boy with chin-length chocolate brown hair and eyes of the same color. Acting almost as a reflex, the boy began to scribble on the parchment in front of him. James read along as his quill glided across the page, and then lifted his head up.

"Changing human appearance is one of the most dangerous forms of Transfiguration. It should not be attempted by inexperienced wizards, as a simple slip of the tongue can cause permanent damage, or even death in some cases. Most wizards begin with eye color, because it is the simplest spell within this category."

Professor McGonagall hesitated, narrowing her eyes a bit. "Well said, Mr. Potter. Five points to Gryffindor. Now who can tell me what we call wizards or witches who have the ability to change their physical appearance without using a spell?"

James, turning his attention back to the girl in front of him, noticed that her hand had shot up.

"Lily Evans?"

"A Metamorphmagus," she replied confidently.

"Very good, Miss Evans. And can you estimate how many Metamorphmagi there have been in total?"

"No more than fifty," she answered. "Metamorphmagi are very rare. There are only a few born per century. It seems that this trait is not genetic."

"Correct again. Five points to Gryffindor."

Lily looked at her parchment. James looked at Lily. She was now scribbling something on the sheet. He watched her fill up her paper with notes, pale hand gliding across the page. Occasionally, she would put the quill in her mouth while she looked at the Professor intently. James was jealous of the quill.

Lily rolled up her parchment and put it in her bag, along with her ink and quill. Sirius nudged him.

"Huh?" James was confused. "Oh, right," he looked around and noticed that everyone was leaving.

"Man, you've got it bad," Sirius laughed. "Do you even remember what the lesson was about?"

"Sure I do. It was about changing physical appearance. With the proper practice, you could have auburn hair, or emerald eyes, or pale, soft skin, or…"

"Down boy," Sirius interrupted.

"James?" said the sweetest voice he had ever heard.

"Lily! Hi!" James spoke a bit to quickly.

"Remember, there's a Prefects' meeting tonight. For the Halloween decorations? Meet in the Great Hall at eight o'clock, alright?"

"Yeah… Yeah I'll see you there." James muttered from his dreamlike state.

"Oh, and James?" she spoke again.

"Yes?"

"You've got some drool on your face. Did you know?" she pointed toward his chin, giggling along with her friends. Sirius snorted. The girls exited the classroom, whispering and laughing, leaving James with steadily reddening cheeks. He ran a hand through his hair.

"Well played, Prongs," Remus tried to be encouraging, but failed to hide the amusement in his voice.

"Shut up."

The three friends exited the Transfiguration classroom, going to their respective dormitories to put away their things before dinner. Sirius and Remus walked toward Gryffindor tower, while James headed to a portrait of a strangely vicious brown bunny. The creature hissed and snarled at him as he advanced toward the picture, still making an enormous racket as he mumbled the password and entered through the portrait hole.

He was standing inside a common room slightly smaller than that of Gryffindor tower. It was beautifully decorated, with a roaring fireplace and two red chairs sitting on either side. A cherry-colored coffee table sat in the middle of the room, surrounded by a couch and two poufs of the same shade. Prisms of color danced on the walls, shining from the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. On the left wall, a short staircase led up to a brown wooden door that read _JAMES_ in bold capital letters of Gryffindor colors. The right wall looked just the same, except the door read _Lily_ in cursive, emerald letters.

These dorms, the Heads' Dorms, were given to one male and one female student who earned the position of Head Boy or Head Girl, respectively. James had been nothing short of surprised when his Hogwarts letter the summer preceding seventh year had not only included a list of school books, but a note from the headmaster informing him of his newest achievement. Lily, however, was the number one pick for the position. She was _perfect_.

James walked up the stairs to his bedroom and put his bag on top of his trunk, stopping to glance out the window. He had come to the conclusion months earlier that the best view of the Hogwarts grounds came from this very window. The perfect depiction of Hagrid's hut, the lake, the forbidden forest, and the Whomping Willow looked like it could have been a muggle postcard for the school. Feeling his stomach churn with hunger, he spun around and left his room, shutting the door behind him.

He had only just gotten to the portrait hole when he heard the other door open. Turning his head to the left, he watched Lily as she descended from the staircase like an angel from Heaven. He smiled, not believing his luck in finally befriending her this year.

Their relationship had been one for the books, complete with public shouting matches and dueling in corridors. James had finally given up on hating her in forth year when he discovered that she was better than him at almost everything. He couldn't beat her. Stubborn as Lily was, she had finally given up on loathing him when he had been chosen as head boy. She was much too sensible to continue to hate someone she would be spending a vast majority of her time with, so the two called a truce.

Though their friendship had only been going for less than two months, they had become quite close. Lily completely released her inhibitions around James, telling him everything about her life and what was happening in her mind. James would quietly listen, nodding at all the appropriate times and holding her hand when she needed comfort. He would open up to her about the simple things, like his father's illness and how he feared he would not do well on the Charms exam, but there were things he chose not to reveal to her. For instance, he and two of his friends were unregistered Animagi, while the third just happened to be a dangerously wild werewolf. He adored classical music, liver and onions, and the muggle TV show _Bewitched_. Until he was fifteen, he could not sleep unless he had his stuffed monkey, Booties, by his side. He would have also preferred to keep it quiet that he had named that monkey himself.

Oh yes, there were many things that James Potter did not want to reveal to Lily. It just so happened that the way she made him feel was at the top of that list.

**(A/N: I am quite aware that this chapter is short. It's just sort of an introduction to the story. I am also aware that they have a Prefects' meeting, and I'll get to that. It should be good fun. School is starting soon, so updates may not come as quickly as I had hoped. Please R&R, as the more reviews I get, the worse I will feel about not updating.)**


	2. Rosy Pink

**DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm not claiming ownership. I'm not making money off this. It's simply for my enjoyment, as well as the enjoyment of those who choose to read it. Proceeding.**

Pink.

Rosy pink.

James's cheeks were flushed from running all the way from the Heads' dorm to the Great Hall for dinner. Apparently, staring at the object of his affections was very time consuming (although he had learned this years ago).

As he entered through the tall double doors, he looked around the large room. People from three of the four house tables admired him from afar. His untidy black hair, smoldering hazel eyes, and muscular Quidditch build made him quite a catch, but his heart belonged to one girl only. The question was if she would ever find out the truth.

He made his way to his usual spot at the Gryffindor table next to the Marauders, Lily, and her friends. He wasn't in a talkative mood. He wasn't even in a stare-at-Lily mood, and this was a rare occurrence. He was feeling contemplative. He robotically spooned some mashed potatoes on his plate, deep in thought about his current dilemma. He was most certainly in love with Lily Evans; that much was obvious to anyone with eyes. They were friends—even what James considered best friends—now, and he couldn't risk losing that with her. He'd worked so hard to gain her trust. He sighed. Despite having many of the girls at Hogwarts fawning over him, he still had so much to learn about women.

James continued to eat his meal without a second thought to what was entering his mouth when Sirius spoke. "So… are you going to tell us or are we going to have to beat it out of you later?" he asked with a small smirk. James merely gave the Marauders a look that said everything, and all eyes were averted at the redhead sitting next to him. Her head was buried in an Arithmancy book, desperately trying to learn the formulas before the exam the next day. She looked up, feeling their stares burning through her. "What?" she asked clearly annoyed that her studying had been interrupted. The boys simply shook their heads, and they went back to their business.

The meal had been a quiet one. James was just finishing up his dinner as he glanced at the clock. It was almost time for the Prefects' meeting, and he was totally prepared. Beneath his golden goblet was a black notebook filled with thoughts about the changes he would bring as Head Boy. He fingered his badge, tracing over the 'H' and 'B', the corners of his mouth turning up slightly. This badge had brought him one step closer to his ultimate goal, being with Lily. It was his most prized possession.

A flash of red to his left brought pulled him from his thoughts. Turning to the beauty beside him, his smile widened.

"Are you ready for the meeting?" Lily asked him, as if she were expecting him to forget.

"Of course I am," James gestured to the notebook. She picked it up, flipping through the pages.

"These are great ideas, James. I have to say, I'm impressed," Lily said, raising an eyebrow and grinning.

"Thanks, Lils. I've been putting that together ever since I got my head boy letter," James said, almost beaming that she had actually complimented him on his planning. "So… What else do you have in mind for this year?"

"Well, I was thinking that we could do some kind of Christmas ball. You know, like the Yule Ball they hold during the Triwizard Tournament?" Lily suggested.

"That sounds like a great idea, Lily. We'd have to start on it soon, though. Christmas is in less than a month," James pointed out.

"Okay, that sounds good. Do you want to start planning for it now?" she asked, cocking her head to the side and furrowing her brows as if she were thinking deeply about something.

"It couldn't hurt. People need time to pick out dress robes and… find dates and stuff," he glanced up at her while chewing on his lower lip a bit, but she was busy scribbling something down on a piece of parchment. Feeling slightly disappointed that she did not catch his hint, he began to follow her example and started to write down some ideas, his quill gliding swiftly across the page. He contemplated their relationship. What did she think of him? Would she ever see him as he saw her? He didn't know, but his Gryffindor qualities wouldn't allow him to simply sit there and pity himself. He had to find out for sure.

"Hey Lily?" James said, his voice coming out slightly choked. _So much for Gryffindor qualities_.

"Yes, James?" Lily answered.

"I was just wondering-" he began, but he was cut off by a deep voice calling out toward him.

"HEADS UP, PRONGS!" Sirius Black yelled, pointing to a red quaffle flying toward the table in front of him. James just watched as the ball soared through the air and landed right on top of his goblet, knocking its contents onto Lily. She screamed.

"Sirius," James said, clenching his teeth. Sirius _would_ pick just that moment to throw a damned quaffle toward him. "Why in the _world_ do you have a _quaffle _at dinner?"

"Well, I guess I just got bored. Have you ever noticed that there's nothing to do at dinner but eat? I mean, doesn't that get a little mundane after a while?"

"IT'S NEVER BOTHERED YOU BEFORE!" James yelled, his body tense. The professors glanced over at him, looking puzzled. The Head Boy was losing it. This did not bode well. Just then, a gasping noise behind him made him spin around. There stood Lily, clutching her throat.

"Lily? Lily, what's wrong?" James asked with a worried tone in his voice.

She pointed to the pumpkin juice that had been spilled all over her. "Allergic," she managed to choke out.

"Oh my gosh, Lily. I'll take you to the hospital wing. Just try to breathe, okay?" he instructed, shooting a death glare at Sirius and clutching Lily's wrist. She shook her head roughly, fighting for air.

"Can't run," she gasped.

"That's okay, I can carry you. Just promise me you'll keep breathing, Lily. Just keep breathing," James pleaded.

Before any of the professors could reach them, he scooped the redhead into his arms and started the trek toward the hospital wing. It was just their luck that it was on the other side of the castle. Sprinting swiftly through the corridors, he managed to dodge most of the statues and students along the way. Lily's breathing had gone from short, loud gasps to shallow, struggled breaths that were few and far between. James was terrified of would inevitably happen if he made it to the hospital wing only a few seconds too late.

At last, he spotted the large red doors at the end of a long corridor. He sprinted as fast as he could, knocking over a first year Hufflepuff with Lily's feet. Throwing open the doors, he began to shout, "MADAM POMFREY, HELP! HURRY!"

"Hold on, Mr. Potter, I'm sure this can wait," Madam Pomfrey said as she dressed the wounds of a Slytherin who had been burned by a Blast-Ended Skrewt. The healer was used to the Marauders being overly dramatic with minor injuries, so she didn't think twice about the urgency in James's voice.

He looked down at the pale, limp body of the girl in his arms. "HURRY, PLEASE! SHE'S NOT BREATHING!" James pleaded. This caught Madam Pomfrey's attention. She hopped up, abandoning the burn, and rushed over to Lily. She placed two fingers at the base of her neck checking for a pulse.

"What's wrong? Is she dead? Can you save her?" James's mind was overflowing with questions. Lily—his Lily—wasn't breathing.

The old witch moved around frantically, trying to think of spells that could save the young girl laying unconscious on the bed. "I don't know, Mr. Potter, I don't know."

**A/N: Cliffie! Okay guys, I'm really sorry that I haven't had time to update. My classes are crazy this year, and I have a lot of homework. I'll try to get you at least one or two chapters per month if I can. Once again, I know this chapter is short, but I am most definitely not good at writing long chapters. For this I apologize. Anyway, do you see that little periwinkle button on the bottom left? Click it, and REVIEW!**


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